


The Woman Eliot Spencer Loves

by joyboo



Category: Leverage
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kidnapping, Love, Marriage, Miscarriage, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 10:34:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4176603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joyboo/pseuds/joyboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kenna and Eliot meet, and strike up a relationship even though she doesn't know who he really is.</p>
          </blockquote>





	1. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenna and Eliot meet, and strike up a relationship even though she doesn't know who he really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Leverage nor am I at all affiliated with it. Hope you like it. More to come soon. This is my first time posting anything so please go easy on me...

I am the woman Eliot Spencer loves. You may or may not have heard of him, but for those of you who have not, he is a thief, a ruthless hitter, and also the best man I know. Now, I did not know who he was for a very long time. For years, he was just my mysterious, overprotective man. I’m sure you’re wondering how that worked. How could I not know who my husband was? Well, I’ll tell you.

It all started with a case he was working. I wasn’t directly involved in whatever is was he and his team were doing, but our paths did cross. I was unknowingly someone he was distracting so that Parker or Sophie or whoever could get by. Then, I started seeing him everywhere. At first it didn’t seem like he was purposefully searching me out, but one day, we ended up at the same coffee shop. I was working on something at a table when I heard, “Hey, Kenna, right?”

I looked up into a pair of the bluest eyes I have ever seen and I felt myself blushing, “Yeah, I can’t believe you remembered. I’m sorry, I forgot your name.”

“No worries,” he said with a smile, “I’m Eliot.” He said, sitting across from me.

“Eliot. Very nice to officially meet you again.”

My coffee cup was on the table empty, and noticing it he asked, “Can I get you another?”

“Uh, sure, that would be great!”

While he went up to order more coffee, I desperately searched in my purse for a mirror and my lip gloss to make sure I looked presentable. As he was coming back, I collected the things I had spread out so that there was room for our drinks.

“What are you working on,” he inquired as he settled into the chair again indicating my pile of papers. I took the cup from him that he was offering as I felt myself turn red again,

“Um, well, it’s nothing.”

“No, really, what is it?”

“I like to write poetry and short stories.”

“Really? Can I see some?”

“I’ve never shown anyone my writing before.”

“Ok, no worries,” he said, taking a long swig of his coffee. I took a sip of mine and discovered he had ordered me my favorite drink.

“How did you know what my drink was?”

“I didn’t. I asked the guy at the counter. Apparently you come here enough to have a usual.”

“Yeah, I guess I do. This shop is close to my apartment so I’m here a few times a week. Do you live in the area? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”

“I moved here a few weeks ago. The day I saw you at work was my second day in town.”

“Where did you move here from?”

“Texas, I guess you could say, its where I spent the most time in my life. I’m kinda from all over. I was a military brat and then I had the urge to travel so I haven’t been settled for a long time. I’m thinking about settling down here though. Boston has a little bit of everything,” he said with a cheeky smile.

“That it does. I love it here too. I just moved here a few years ago and settled down after college.”

“Where are you from?” he asked.

“I’m from Utah originally. I went to school in Kansas though.”

“Wow, Utah and Kansas are a lot different than Massachusetts though,” he said, punctuating it with another drink from his cup.

“Yeah, I wanted a change. I wanted more hustle and bustle and a change of scenery. I just love how much history Boston has too. It’s so beautiful and old. It has a little bit of everything,” I said, echoing his response from earlier.  
He smiled and we gradually lapsed into a conversation that felt a little bit like a first date. We covered his large family which had settled down in Texas again and my lack of a family and everything from our favorite colors to aspects of our bucket list. Hours passed in what felt like a minute and soon it was dark outside.

“Oh no! I need to get home and work on some things for work tomorrow.” I said regretfully.

“Let me at least buy you dinner since I monopolized so much of your time.”

I wavered for a minute, but we both knew I would agree.

“There’s a little place I found not far from here that has some great Italian food.”

“Ok,” I finally said, quickly gathering up my things.

We left and walked a few blocks to the restaurant. “Oh, Morelli’s,” I said, “I love this place.”

“Really?” he asked a little surprised.

“Yeah, the owner’s son lives in my building”

“Does he now?” Eliot replied, and he looked a little like a kid who had his toy taken away.

“Yeah,” he’s a nice guy, not my type. The family kinda took me in I guess? He’s like the big brother I never had. The Morelli’s are really good to me. Always tell me to watch out, make sure I get home, that kind of thing.”

“Oh,” he replied relaxing, “That’s good. I’m glad you’ve got someone watching out for you.”  
We walked in and were led to a table. Mr. Morelli saw me and came over.

“Hi Mr. Morelli! How has your night been?”

“Good Ms. Kenna. Nice to see you! Who is your friend?”

Before I could respond, Eliot was saying, “Hi Mr. Morelli, my name is Eliot Reynolds, pleasure to meet you,” he said offering his hand for a handshake. Mr. Morelli took it, giving me a wink. Obviously he approved of Eliot.

I felt myself blush again before Mr. Morelli took our orders and then left to get them started. “I feel like I passed a test,” Eliot joked.

“I think you did,” I replied with a chuckle.

We picked up our conversation where we had left it at the coffee shop and soon we were both fed and it was time for me to go home. Eliot walked me til we were outside of my building where I left him. I was walking up my steps when he said, “Can I see you again?” I stopped and turned with a smile and a nod. I hopped back down the stairs as he pulled his phone out. I put my number in, and then he texted me a smiley face to make sure it was in correctly. He leaned forward and kissed my cheek before turning and walking down the street whistling a tune I couldn’t quite place.

I watched him until he turned the corner before going up to my apartment, struggling to get some work done before I went to bed. The best description I had was that I felt twitter-pated. The butterflies in my stomach refused to calm themselves all night and into the next day.  
I waited in expectation, refusing to be the first one to text him. I knew there was that thing about the three day rule, but I really hoped it wasn’t real. The next evening, I was just getting home when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. When I looked, Eliot’s name lit up my screen and my face broke into a smile.

—Hi, Beautiful—it said, and my insides melted.

—Hi Eliot :)—

—Can I see you again? —

—Yes. —

—Are you free tonight? —

—I am—

—I’ll be outside your apartment at 7—

Our lives fell in to a routine that I found highly comfortable. It was amazing how quickly he was integrated into my life. Eventually though, his bouts of disappearing became a problem. After the third call in four days that went ignored, I left a blistering voicemail. The next day I received a delivery of a huge bouquet of flowers at work. With it was a note that said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t talk now. Call you as soon as I’m free. Thinking of you, E”

The flowers were definitely a good way to placate me, but I still wanted answers. The next time I saw him, he told me that his job was such that I couldn’t know anything about it. I assumed that meant he worked for the government and that it was too dangerous for me to know. I filled in the blanks and he didn’t correct me. It would be years before I wished he had.


	2. The Onset of our Relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Leverage nor am I at all affiliated with it. Hope you like it. More to come soon. This is my first time posting anything so please go easy on me...

Eliot and I had dated for a few months before he tried to kiss me. In some ways he was very traditional. In others, he was more than willing to break social norms. He loved to cook and he was very good at it. No matter whose apartment we ate at, he cooked, making meals that were absolutely heavenly. But he was always the resolute gentleman. He would give me his coat if I was cold, he would open doors for me and he insisted on dropping me off in front of my apartment any time we did anything.

Every time he dropped me off, I hoped he would kiss me, but he never made a move. I was getting frustrated. The next time he disappeared for a week, he warned me about it. It was a brief call, but I was grateful for it. When that week stretched into two, I started to get worried. I knew calling wouldn’t help, he wasn’t able to answer his phone, but boy did I wish I had a way to know if he were still alive.

Eliot didn’t call me when he returned, instead I saw him as I was leaving my apartment on a Saturday. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs holding another bouquet of flowers. I launched myself at him wrapping arms and legs around him. I was tired of waiting for him to make a move. I felt his arms catch me as I planted my lips on his. All the air left my lungs as he reciprocated. His tongue moved against my lips and when I opened them, he explored the inside of my mouth.

I had been kissed before, but it was nothing like this. My heart thundered in my ears and I felt him carrying me back up the stairs and into my apartment. He set me down so I could unlock my door, but once on the other side, he captured my lips again. He was shrugging out of his jacket when I said, “Welcome home. I missed you.”  
He sighed, “I missed you too Kenna. Sorry, I was gone so long. I ended up with some injuries that needed to be taken care of before I could come home.”

“Where?” I asked, lifting the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head. His torso was covered in scars, but I saw a few stitched up cuts and a bandage on his bicep.

“What happened?” I asked, leaning forward to plant kisses just above the scabs.

“Man came at me with a knife when I wasn’t expecting it,” he replied, his voice a little haggard. He reached for me and I let myself get pulled back into his arms. His hands trailed down my sides before sliding under my shirt. Goosebumps covered my body and I gasped at the feeling.

“I’ve never—” I started to say.

“Never what?”

“I’ve never slept with anyone before.”

“I better make it memorable then, huh.”

Half an hour later, I could definitely say I knew what all the fuss was about.

 

He would disappear for weeks at a time, but now he would warn me ahead of time and call me if a job went long. I had found ways to deal with the loneliness. I made friends with my coworkers and I settled in to life in Boston, both when Eliot was there, and when he wasn’t.

On our one year anniversary, he took me to a park. I wasn’t paying attention to him, instead I was chattering on about my day and about how pretty all the flowers looked. When I sensed I had lost him, I looked back to see him on one knee with a small box in his hand, opened to reveal the prettiest ring I had ever seen. There was a giant diamond in the middle with smaller diamonds covering the silver band. I gasped and I’m sure I looked like a cliché as I covered my mouth with my hands.

“Kenna McNamara, will you marry me?”

Tears came to my eyes as I nodded, still unable to say anything. He stood and wrapped me in his arms, planting a kiss on my lips as tears came to my eyes. I was so happy. I never thought I would have my own family, and I now I felt the promise of our years to come.

Our engagement was short and our wedding was very simple. We merely dressed up and went to the courthouse. Two of my coworker friends came with us to be our witnesses and soon I was Kenna Reynolds. We went to Morelli’s where we had a small reception and we were well celebrated.

Eliot whisked me away to Ireland where we had an amazing and blissful honeymoon that lasted a week before we had to go back to reality. Our life fell into a comfortable rhythm and we found ways to work around his trying schedule and lived just like any married couple. It never occurred to me that our life together was mostly about my life. I assumed it was just because he was so private. Eventually I gave up trying to pry into his life and his mind, instead allowing him to volunteer information when he felt like it.


	3. Good News and Bad News

Weeks turned into months and before I knew it we were celebrating our first anniversary. We had since moved into our own house and I was promoted at work. We had built quite the solid life together and I was blissfully happy. Although, I never thought I would spend our first anniversary alone. Eliot and his team had been called away on a job and I didn’t know when they would return. I had run to the store to get some wine to nurse my loneliness, and when I got home, I knew something was different.  
I could see lights on, but I wasn’t expecting Eliot home. I was on instant alert. News I had received a few days ago had me on edge. I called Jason Morelli, “Hey Jason.”

“Hey Kenna, what’s up?”

“I don’t remember leaving lights on in my house, but there are some and Eliot’s not home so I just wanted someone to know in case…”

“Do you want me to come over? I'm just five minutes away.”

“No I should be good, will you just stay on the line while I check it out.”

“Sure.”

I tentatively opened the door and started exploring the house. I saw a trail of rose petals littering the floor and they made a path back to our bedroom.

“Hello?” I called out.

Eliot walked out of the room holding two bottles of champagne, “Happy Anniversary, sweetheart.”

I let out a relieved sigh, “Eliot came home early. Thanks, Jason.”

“Anytime Kenna, enjoy your anniversary.”

I chuckled and ended the call.

“Hi baby,” I said finishing the walk down the hallway. He leaned forward for a kiss and I set down my things so that I could take a glass from him and giving him a hug. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.”

“I almost didn’t, but I pulled some strings. I didn’t want you to be alone.” He led me in to the room and had me sit down on the bed. “I have something for you, wait here.”

He left the room and I thought about my gift for him with a small smile. I looked around the room while I waited for him. He had set up candles everywhere and there were bouquets of red roses scattered around and I truly felt special. My man definitely knew how to pamper me. When he came back into the room, he had a small square box in his hand that I just knew was for jewelry.

“Eliot?”

“You have made me so happy, Kenna. I have somewhere to call home finally, I haven’t had that in years, but when I’m with you it’s different. You have given me something to fight for again. Something to believe in.”

I kissed him before opening the box. I gasped at its contents. There was a silver necklace littered with sapphires and diamonds that was a complement to my ring. There were also a pair of earrings that matched too.

“These are beautiful,” I whispered looking at him in awe. “I have something for you too,” I said before walking to the bathroom. Before I came back out I said, “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

I looked to make sure he did what I asked, “Now I know that for your first anniversary, paper is traditional, but I thought you might like this better.”  
I set it down in his hand and his fingers wrapped around it before his eyes popped open, “Is this a—?”

I nodded as he looked at it and at the little screen that read ‘Pregnant’. I wasn’t completely sure if he would be on board because we had never talked about kids so I was nervous for his response.

“You’re pregnant?” He asked, and his eyes were guarded for a minute.

“I—yeah. I know we haven’t really talked about it, but I was late,” I started babbling and I wasn’t really sure where I was going with it when I felt his hand on my abdomen.

“There’s a baby in there?” he said, awed.

“I haven’t gone to the doctor to get it confirmed, but I’m pretty sure. I feel different, and I took like five tests.”

Eliot knelt on the floor in front of me and lifted up the hem of my shirt to touch my still flat stomach. He looked up at me with a mixture of excitement and fear. “We’re going to be parents?”

I chuckled, “Yes.”

Next thing I knew, he had picked me up and lay me down on the bed. “How far along are you?”

“I don’t know, not very.”

Whatever plans he had for the rest of the night were forgotten as talked about the future and baby names.

 

Eliot was home a lot more in the months following our anniversary and even though I didn’t say anything to him, I was thrilled to have his company. When he told me he had to leave for a job I wanted to ask him not to go, but I had no reason to other than the fact that I enjoyed his company. I was still in the first trimester but had just started to put on weight. He assured me that it wasn’t very much but I knew he was just being nice. He left that morning with the promise to call me that night and I waved goodbye as he drove away, just like any normal wife would. That night everything changed.

 

 

(Eliot’s point of view)  
The job was a normal one, nothing too out of the ordinary. The first night, I left Kenna a voicemail when she didn’t answer my call. I wasn’t too worried, she had mentioned doing something with friends so I just figured she was busy. The next morning I called her again and when she didn’t answer again I started to worry. It just wasn’t like her.  
Then I received the worst call of my life. It was a blocked number so I had Hardison try to trace it when I answered,

—Hello? —

—Eliot Spencer, we have your wife. Bring $20,000,000 to the pier tomorrow night and someone will meet you with you. You will get another call in exactly 12 hours when we check your progress. Don’t try anything or she dies. —

They hung up the phone and I felt my stomach drop. My team looked at me. I didn’t lose my composure very often but I was terrified. Kenna didn’t know anything about who I was. I hadn’t even told my team about her. No one in my world knew about her, I made sure of that.

“Eliot, what is it?” Sophie asked in her soft voice.

I took a moment to reign in the anger and fear that demanded I kill something, “Someone took my wife.”

Everyone froze and looked at me.

“Did you just say you have a wife?” Parker said in her brusque way.

I turned and punched the wall with a yell, “Yes, my wife. Oh God.” My knees gave way and I sank to the floor. “I protected her, I don’t understand. How did they find her? You guys didn’t even know about her.”

“It’ll be ok, Eliot,” Nathan said in his way that says he’s already coming up with a plan, “What did they say in the phone call?”

“Um—I’m supposed to bring 20 mill to the pier tomorrow. They said they would call to check up on me. Hardison, pull up my accounts, I know you track them. Transfer it all together so I can withdraw it all.”

“Eliot, you don’t even know who these people are or what they really want. If they know you enough to know you have that kind of money, and that you have a wife we have to be careful. They don’t want your money, they want you.”

“I can’t lose her, Nate. I can’t. She’s the best part of me.”

We spent the rest of the day planning and researching what was happening. I still made Hardison move my money so that I could get to it if I needed to. Any time I heard a phone ring, I jumped. When mine finally rang, I froze. Hardison had put a more in depth trace on it so when he signaled he was ready, I answered it. This time, the voice wasn’t masked and I knew exactly who it was.

“Moreau, I thought we had finally done away with you.”

“And yet it seems I have bested you Eliot.”

“What do you want from me? “

“I want to break you. I want to end you for betraying me. Do you have the money?”

“Not yet, but I will. I need proof of life. “

“Very well.” There was a pause and I heard some back ground noises before Kenna’s voice came over the phone.

“Eliot?” She sounded so scared my heart broke.

“Kenna? Oh my God, Kenna, I’m coming for you. I’m going to get you, baby.”

“Eliot, please hurry, they—”

They cut her off and I heard her cry as someone hit her.

“What is your game Moreau? Why did you bring her in to this? She’s innocent,” I growled into the phone.

“Because you thought you could have secrets. Because you thought you could get out and because you thought your team was better than me. Well, you’re wrong. Also, now I want all your assets, everything. And I think some of Nathan’s too, I seem to remember him getting too much enjoyment out of putting me away. See you soon.”

The phone clicked and the line went dead. I looked to Hardison who was typing away on his computer.

“I found where they are. I doubt they’ll be there for much longer though,” he said.

“We better get a move on then,” Nate said, and we all rushed out to Lucille.

We were too late to get Kenna, there was no one left at the warehouse to tell us where they went either, so we were left with nothing again. I didn’t know what to do, until Hardison’s camera software got a ping on one of Moreau’s associates. We followed him back to another warehouse, and I just knew this was where they had Kenna.  
Parker and I started working the perimeter, taking out anyone they had there for security. It felt so good to hit them, to punish them for taking what was mine. We finally found our way inside, but there was no sign of Moreau. But Kenna was there.

They had her tied up on the floor and she wasn’t moving. She was covered in bruises and there was blood all over her. I couldn’t see her face, but I could see something used as a gag tied around her face. I didn’t let myself think she was dead, I couldn’t. My vision went red and I started beating everyone who got in my way. I vaguely saw Sophie and Hardison go to check on Kenna, but there were people left to hurt.

By the time they were all dead or unconscious, I heard sirens heading our way. I let myself slow down enough to check on Kenna. Sophie was still talking to her, and I could tell she was afraid. Kenna looked bad.

“Kenna, baby, I’m here.”

“Eliot?”

“It’s going to be ok.”

Someone had cut the ties that were holding her, but there were deep gashes in her wrists where they had been. I didn’t know where to touch her. I didn’t want to hurt her.  
“They killed our baby,” she whispered. Her voice sounded like she had been screaming, and hadn’t had any water in days.

My heart clenched, “But you’re alive. You’re going to be ok.”

I said it as much for myself as for her. Nate said, “An ambulance is on its way.”

I nodded, tears coming to my eyes.

“Why her, Nate? Why did he have to hurt her? How did he find her?”

“I don’t know, Eliot, but we’re going to find out.”

The EMTs let me ride to the hospital with them, and even patched up a few cuts I hadn’t realized I’d gotten. I answered their questions as best as I could, but I just didn’t know what all they had done to her. One of her legs was obviously broken. Her hair was soaked in blood from a cut on her forehead, and her jean shorts were entirely red from blood.  
We mercifully made it to the hospital quickly, but then they whisked her away to assess the full extent of her injuries. I paced the halls waiting for word from anyone. Ten minutes later, the team found me.

“Any word?” Sophie asked.

I shook my head.

“We have a lead on Moreau,” Nate said. My head snapped in his direction and I’m sure my face read ‘murder.’

“Let’s go. Sophie will you stay here to keep an eye on her? I’m calling a friend to guard her too.”

Sophie nodded as I pulled out my phone to make the quick call, then I stormed down the hallway hoping the rest of the team would follow me.

We spent the next few days tracking down everyone who was a part of Moreau’s team, and I made sure none of them were left breathing. I was scared to return to Kenna. Her life, the life I had made for her, had crumpled down around her and it was all my fault. When I finally made it to the hospital, I quickly found her room and eased in. I had paid so that she could get her room to herself so she could have privacy. She was staring out the window watching the rain that had been falling since I found her.

“Kenna?” I said tentatively.

She turned to look at me and her eyes held none of their normal shine. The swelling had gone down so she could see, but the bruises were still there. Some of her color was back, I’m sure due to the IV they had her connected to.

“Where have you been?” she asked.

I sat in the chair next to her bed, “I had to find the people who did this to you.”

“Did you? Are they all in jail?”

“They’re dead.”

“Who are you, Eliot, really?”

I ran my hand over my face. I knew I should have told her about me, I just thought I would have more time. “My name is Eliot Spencer. I’m a hitter and a thief. After I was in the army, I was recruited for my particular set of skills and I have worked all over the world. Now I work with my team who you kinda met, Nate is the brains, Sophie is a grifter, Hardison is a hacker, and Parker is the safe cracker, alarm specialist. We work to take down corrupt corporations and get back people’s hard earned money.”

“You killed them all didn’t you?”

I hung my head, but nodded. I never should have lied to her.

“Get out.”

My head snapped up and I searched her face for a minute. I had never seen it so hard.

“I love you, Kenna, I’m sorry.”

“Because of you, our baby is dead. ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t fix that. Get out.”

I felt like she had stabbed me in the heart.

“Kenna—”

“Get. Out.”

She turned her head back to watch out the window and I left. I didn’t want to, but I did. I didn’t know what else to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Leverage nor am I at all affiliated with it. Hope you like it. More to come soon. This is my first time posting anything so please go easy on me...


	4. What Happened to Kenna

“Hi Sophie, its Kenna.”

“Kenna, hi! How are you feeling?”

“Ok I guess,”

I didn’t really want to talk to her. I didn’t know her, but I needed to talk to the man I thought was my husband.

“Can you ask Eliot to come see me? I get released tomorrow and need to know if I have a home to go to.”

Sophie made a shocked noise but I hung up before she could say anything else. I sat staring at my phone for a few minutes, fighting tears. I had finally regained control of myself and was going to make another phone call when I felt a presence standing in the door. I looked up and found myself caught in those expressive blue eyes I had come to love too much. I felt my inner will cave again as he walked into the room, sitting in its only chair, pulled up against my bed. “How did you get here so fast?” I asked, my voice nothing but a whisper.

“I’ve been staying at the hotel across the street, making sure you were safe. I didn’t want anything to happen again and wanted to be close in case you needed me.”

His voice made my heart clench and tears leaked from my eyes. He reached to brush them away, but stopped when I flinched away. “Kenna—I am so sorry. Please, talk to me.”

“I don’t even know who you are.”

He seemed to deflate, “I’m still the same man who loves you and who exchanged vows with you.”

“Are you? Are you sure? Were you ever that man?”

“I’ve always wanted to be that man. And I tried, and I was, but it made me sloppy. I never dreamed that the people of my past would find you. I never would have pursued you if I thought I couldn’t keep you safe. I’m sorry,” he said, sounding broken.

I had been watching my fingers worrying the hospital blanket on my bed but when I made myself look up, I saw his head in his hands and I could see his shoulders moving like he was breathing hard. I tentatively reached out my hand that was not in a brace and tangled my fingers in his hair. His breath hitched, and he leaned in to me for a moment before looking at me. He looked haunted, devastated, and much older than he was. I didn’t know how to respond to him, so I stayed quiet as we just stared at each other. He had dark circles under his eyes and I saw a bandage wrapped around his forearm, but thankfully whatever it was covering was no longer bleeding. He had never done well with silence so he broke ours saying,

“I killed them all.” I must have looked confused or shocked because he continued, “Everyone connected with your kidnapping, everyone who dared to hurt you. I hunted them down and killed them. That’s why I wasn’t here right away. That is who I am, Kenna. That is what I’ve done.”

By now, my hand was in his lap and he was looking at his fingers, tracing the lines on my palm and I was thankful he wasn’t looking at me. My thoughts swirled and fought, at war with one another over this strange, broken man whom I loved. He had told me this before, but I don't think I truly understood what that meant. “Will you tell me your whole story? Not leaving any misdeed or horrifying detail out?”

He looked back up at me, his whole body saying ‘no’ as if he were ready to run. “The last time I tried to tell you, you threw me out,” he whispered.

“I know. I was hurting. I’m sorry, I won’t this time,” I assured him.

He searched my face again before finally nodding. Then, he did. He told me the whole story. It took him several hours to tell me everything from his childhood to his dark moments to the moment I told him he would be a dad, to the moment he got the ransom called before he stopped, unable to go on. Emotion had made his voice thick, and I was struggling to come to terms with everything he was telling men. The strongest man I knew fell apart in front of me as sobs wracked his body. I pulled him on to my bed and into my arms. His arms wrapped around me and his face was flush against my chest. The power of his sobs shook the bed. I rubbed his back and held his head, for once our roles reversed. Every so often, I saw a nurse or attendant pass by the room, but mercifully we weren’t bothered by anyone. His sobs gradually quieted to snores as he allowed himself to relax enough to sleep. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, but then, I’m sure it was. He had been keeping this a secret from me for years. I wasn’t sure how long he had gone without sleep, but if the bags under his eyes were any indication my guess would have been since before I was taken. I allowed myself to sleep too, waking when an attendant brought in my food. I tried not to disturb Eliot, but the next thing I knew, he was in a defensive position at the side of my bed with quite the ferocious snarl.

“Eliot, no! It’s ok,” I said, reaching for his arm. The attendant was thoroughly startled, and froze, which was probably a good thing. A few seconds later, Eliot had woken up enough to realize what was going on, and collapsed into the chair, rubbing his face and struggling to wake up the rest of the way.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

The attendant eased forward, leaving my food on the table before scurrying from the room. Eliot looked much better. The dark circles under his eyes had faded and he looked more at peace with the knowledge that I knew everything. I started easing myself off of the bed because I had a very pressing need for the bathroom.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked going on alert again.

“Nothing, I just need to pee,” I responded, swinging my cast down and reaching for my crutches. Instead of helping me up, Eliot scooped me into his arms and carried me to the small bathroom in my room.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and saw him smirk, “What?” I demanded. “Of course your cast is purple.” I smiled too, giving him a playful punch on his shoulder for picking on me. After I took care of my business, he carried me back and we sat on the edge of the bed together. We didn’t say anything, but I could tell our thoughts both drifted the same direction because the air seemed to become heavy around us.

“Will you tell me what they did to you?” he asked, tensing.

“I’m sure you know by now. I’m sure you’ve read about it or heard about it.”

“I did—but I need to hear it from you.”

I nodded turning so that I had one leg on the bed and I was facing him, “I was walking home from the store. I had just gotten to our steps when I heard a noise behind me. I was turning to look when my head was covered by what felt like a pillow case. I stopped everything I was holding, and I struggled, trying to get free. I screamed, but someone covered my mouth and I felt a punch to my gut that knocked all the wind out of me, and they dragged me into a van. They put zip ties around my wrists, but I was still fighting to get free so one of them hit me on the head hard enough I got knocked out. I think that’s when I got this,” I said, indicating the stitches still on my forehead.

“When I woke up, I was being carried on someone’s shoulder. I started kicking and they dropped me and I fell onto a concrete floor. Before I could do anything, there was a sharp kick to my side and I was being held down while some tied my ankles. I tried to scream again and someone ripped off the hood. I was blinded by light but as my eyes adjusted I saw we were in a warehouse. The one who had pulled the hood off told me there was no point in yelling because there was no one to hear me scream. I remember seeing five men, all looking like they wanted to kill me. I told them to let me go, I’m sure I was begging at this point. Then, someone across the warehouse yelled to them that the boss was waiting. I was thrown back over someone’s shoulder and they rushed to a room where I was sat down again.

“There was a well-dressed man who stood up from behind a desk and came to look at me. He took my face roughly in one of his hands so I spit at him, but he—he slapped me hard enough my ears were ringing and then he lifted me with a hand around my throat. He held me against the wall, I didn’t know people could even do that in real life. I tried to claw at his arm, but since my hands were tied I wasn’t very successful, but he said, ‘So, you’re Spencer’s whore. I’m going to enjoy breaking you.’ He dropped me and I crumpled to the floor fighting to breathe again. That is when I first felt the cramping. I curled into a fetal position and said, ‘Please, let me go, I need a doctor.’

‘And why would Spencer’s whore need a doctor?’ ‘I—I don’t know who Spencer is, but I’m pregnant. I think I’m having a miscarriage.’ He had the most evil look on his face, it chilled me to the core. ‘Good,’ he said, ‘The world doesn’t need more Eliot Spencers.’ He made a dismissive movement with his hand and I was dragged from the room and tied to a chair. I didn’t know where I was, but I was left in dark. I started yelling, trying to get someone to help me. After a while, a man came and gagged me. By now, the cramps were really bad, and I could feel myself bleeding. I kept trying to scream through the gag, but no one came. I don’t know how long I was left there, but eventually the boss came back into the room with a few minions. He was trying to get me to give him information, but I just didn’t have it. That’s when he broke my leg and cracked my ribs. The chair I was in was soaked in blood by this point, and he hit me again so hard the chair fell over. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I didn’t know what was happening. He left again, leaving me there. I tried to get my hands free enough to tip me back right side up, but it didn’t work. Finally someone came in and untied me from the chair, only to drag me over to a dirty mattress that was on the floor. He tied me again, this time spread-eagled and—”

I looked at him, not wanting to continue with the story. He had told me he had killed them all, but he didn’t even know the worst of what they had done. I hadn’t told anyone about what happened next, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I met his eyes and his were filled with pain and he was completely tense. I don’t even think he was breathing. For the second time in my life, I was scared of my husband. He looked murderous and I could understand why the people who had kidnapped me would want him dead.

“And—what? What did they do next?”

“I don’t want to tell you,” I said tears coming to my eyes.

He rested his forehead against mine, working to control his breathing. I wanted the earth to swallow me up. “Please,” he whispered.

“I can’t,” I said. And it was my turn to sob uncontrollably. He pulled me onto his lap, not even struggling to move me. He started rocking me as I clung to his shirt, finally letting go of my fear, pain, loss, and anger. I had him back, I hoped. I didn’t want to lose him. I was afraid if I told him, I would lose him. Even though so much of our relationship was a pretense, the things about him that made him, him, were still there and were still true. I would trust this man with my life. I already had.

“Nothing you could say will make me love you less, Kenna. You have heard my deepest, darkest secrets and haven’t turned me away. I can at least do the same for you.” I was still crying, but fought to tell him through the tears.

“He pulled my shorts down and, I felt a pull, he—he had the baby and threw if before,” I felt myself gag from the pain of the memory.

“He raped me. I was still gagged and I guess the blood didn’t bother him. I screamed through it, but you couldn’t hear me. I fought against the ties as best I could but I couldn’t do anything to stop it. Any time I tried to close my eyes, he would slap me saying he wanted me to watch him. Someone must have heard him because soon there was someone else in the room trying to get him to stop, but he said he was almost done. When he—when he came, he pulled out and made it go on my face. I started to throw up and the person who’d interrupted rushed to take off my gag so I didn’t choke. They left again, leaving me in the dark. I think I fell asleep or passed out because the next thing I knew I was being moved again. I was tied to another chair. This was for the proof of life call.”

I thought back to that moment. I couldn’t really see anymore because my eyes were swollen shut, but someone pressed a phone to my ear saying, “Tell your husband you’re alive.”

“Eliot?” I whispered around a split lip.

“Kenna? Oh my God, Kenna, I’m coming for you. I’m going to get you, baby.”

“Eliot, please hurry, they—” I started telling him what they had done, but they took the phone away and I heard the boss negotiating with him.

I continued telling him what happened to me, “I was moved again, but this time I was put in the van and we drove for who knows how long. I was laid out on the floor again when we reached the new destination, but I was left alone there until the boss showed up. He asked me more questions that I didn’t have answers for and he worked me til I was knocked out cold. I didn’t wake again until Sophie was talking to me.” Eliot set me on the bed and started pacing around the room, hands running through his hair. He pulled out his phone and once whoever he called answered he said, “Are there any left? —That’s not acceptable, Hardison—

—Yeah, well, I need to hurt someone and I don’t think you want it to be you—

—Well, work faster! —

I couldn’t look at him. I could tell he was angry and now I knew how much he kept himself in check around me. I didn’t want to risk his wrath. I knew the moment he saw me trying to make myself as small as possible. He stopped his pacing.

—Just take care of it. I gotta go—

“Kenna, no, please, I’m sorry.”

“You said that already.”

“I know. And I know its not enough. I know this happened to you because of me and there’s nothing I can do to make this right or better. I am so sorry. I can’t—I don’t—ugh—I’ve never felt this way in my life. I’ve never felt for anyone the way I feel for you and I’ve messed it all up.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about any of this before we were married?”

“I didn’t want to lose you. I knew you wanted a normal life and a normal man, and you wouldn’t have any of that if you knew the truth. I was selfish and arrogant. I thought if I hid you away, no one in my world would find you. I thought I could keep you to myself and keep you safe. I didn’t even tell anyone one on my team. I got cocky.”

“If you had told me, I could have been more careful, I would have—”

“You would have left me and you would have taken my heart with you.”

“Who can say what I would have done. It doesn’t do us any good to ask ‘what ifs’”

We lapsed into silence again and Eliot’s eyes fell on my plate of food, which I was sure by now was cold. He lifted the lid and winced at what was inside. “This is what they’ve been feeding you?” I nodded and he was on his phone again, “Parker, can you sneak Kenna and I some food?”

—Yeah—

—No, Morelli’s—

He listed off our favorite foods before sitting again and ending the call. Finally I asked a question that had been nagging me since before I had called Sophie. “Is it safe to go home?”

He took my non-braced hand in his and kissed each of my fingers, and I was lulled into a feeling of peace I hadn’t felt in weeks. I finally felt safe again knowing Eliot was there to protect me.

“No, we can’t go home. I’ve already set up a new place and moved all of our stuff though.”

“But—how?”

“I have a lot of money. Well, we have a lot of money, and money can buy a lot of things.”

Just then there was a noise in the ceiling. A tile moved and a blonde woman dropped into the room.

“Parker, you could have used the door!”

“You said to sneak, though.” Eliot sighed. Their banter seemed like it was commonplace between them.

“Kenna, this is Parker, she’s part of our team. She’s the sneaking expert.”

“Hi Kenna!” Parker said, reaching to shake my hand, “Nice to see you when you’re not comatose.”

“Thanks,” I said, not quite sure if there was a proper respond to that.

“Food, Parker.” Eliot said, exasperated.

“Oh yeah!” she said reaching into a duffel bag she had. The smell made my mouth water. Eliot took the plastic bag with a thank you. Kissing Parker on the cheek before she rapeled back into the ceiling with a wave.

“She definitely knows how to make an entrance,” I said.

“Yeah,” he replied with a chuckle. He handed me my to go plate and a fork and waited to make sure I was settled and eating before he tucked into his own. We sat in silence for a while as I enjoyed what tasted like the best food I’d ever had. I ate too fast and was soon too full. Eliot was a bit more delicate in his eating but watched me with a satisfied look, that disappeared when I set my food down.

“You barely ate half of it.”

“I haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”

“You’ve lost weight, I don’t like it.”

“I haven’t felt like I had a reason to eat. The hospital pumped me full of the nutrients I needed and it was more work than I could handle the first few days. It’ll take time for me to get my whole appetite back.”

“What do you mean you didn’t have a reason to eat?”

“I felt like I had lost my husband and my child and my whole life had crumpled around me.”

He didn’t have a response to that but it seemed like his appetite left him too. “How long did they have me?” I asked quietly.

“Three days, eighteen hours, and forty-nine minutes.”

“Not that you were counting,” I tried to make light of it.

“I counted every moment, terrified I was going to lose you. When I saw you lying on the ground, I thought I had.”

“Is that why Sophie was there when I woke up, instead of you?”

“I was taking out all the men in the warehouse.”

“By taking care of you mean—”

“I was beating them to a bloody pulp for daring to hurt you. Now I wish I had kept some of them alive so that I could kill them again.”

He had to put down his food because he’d started shaking. I took his hands in mine, “It’s over Eliot. I’m safe. You saved me. I’m alive, you’re alive, and that’s a win in my book.”

“I wish I could have been there in time to save our baby too.”

Tears flooded my eyes as pain that was startlingly raw tried to choke me. “I wish that too,” I said, struggling for control over my emotions, “but what’s done is done. And if you’re willing, there will be more one day.”

Eliot leaned in to me and his lips pressed in to mine. I finally felt like everything would work out. The two of us would be okay, and I could trust this man with my life and my heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Leverage nor am I at all affiliated with it. Hope you like it. More to come soon. This is my first time posting anything so please go easy on me...


	5. The End

Life had settled in to a routine. I gradually got used to never being alone. I didn’t work anymore, but Eliot made sure someone he trusted was with me at all times. I met all kinds of people in the criminal element. Who knew there were good criminals and bad criminals? I had news for Eliot, and was waiting for him to get home. He and his team were on a job, but he called every day, usually right before I went to bed to check in with me and make sure I hadn’t gone anywhere.

Eliot even took me to meet his family. I instantly fell in love with his mother. I could see where Eliot’s sweet side came from. We stayed with them for two weeks and they were two of the best weeks. His family doesn’t know what he does for a living, and he hadn’t told them about me. The first few days there were a bit of a struggle when they found out they had a daughter-in-law they didn’t know about, but soon I think I won them over. Eliot had mentioned to his mom that I had had a miscarriage, when she had bluntly asked if we only married because I was pregnant. It had only been a few months since the kidnapping and the question affected me more than I would have thought it would have. I had to leave the room, and ended up on the porch but through an open window I heard Eliot stand up for me, “Mom. We’ve been married for two years. If we had done it because she was pregnant, you would be a grandmother by now. Kenna just had a miscarriage, that’s part of why I brought her here. She needed time with family and she doesn’t have any of her own so I thought I would share mine. Thank you for rubbing it in.”

“Eliot, I’m sorry, but we didn’t know about her, and yet here you both are. It’s a lot to take in.”

“So, naturally you jump to the worst conclusions.”

I heard the door behind me, but didn’t turn to look. I was still trying to catch my breath. “Kenna,” Eliot said, reaching for me, “I’m sorry baby.”

“You didn’t even tell your family about me?”

“I’m sorry, no, I didn’t. I—it honestly spaced my mind. My life has so many different facets that I am used to keeping them separate. I would always just drop in unannounced and I didn’t think my bringing you would be a problem. I thought my mom would be elated. I’m sorry. Oh God, I don’t even want to think about how my dad is going to respond. And my sisters…we should go.”

“No, Eliot, you wanted to see your family, honey. They still love you, you just sprung a huge surprise on them. I guess this explains why we never saw them for holidays,” I said with a giggle. Soon I let myself completely let go with a solid body laugh.

“This isn’t funny. Why are you laughing?” Eliot demanded, indignant.

“I’ve never seen you flabbergasted. Meeting your mother is quite the eye opener.” I said, trying to stop laughing long enough to breathe. When I had control of myself again, Eliot had a smirk on his face.

“I’m glad to see you smiling again. I’d missed it,” he said reaching to give me a quick kiss.

“Let’s go back inside,” I said in response, “I want to see your mother get you on the ropes again.”

Eliot sighed before leading me back inside. His mother had sat on the couch, right under the window I had heard them through, so I knew she had heard our conversation. She stood again when we came in, “Kenna, I am so sorry. I just assumed,”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Spencer, I understand how much of a shock I must be.”

After that, the rest of our visit went rather well, and now I talked to his family on a weekly basis. Our new home became the new base of Leverage Operations and I took care of cleaning and laundry while Eliot was in charge of cooking food since he was so good at it. I never helped with their day to day functions, but I became a kind of den mother and became good friends with the whole team, especially Parker and Sophie.

A few months later, I was waiting for the team to get home from a job. I couldn’t sleep. I was a bundle of nerves and excitement. When they came through the door, I launched myself into Eliot’s arms which had become a kind of routine. This time though, he caught me with a grunt before quickly setting me on the ground.

“Sorry, baby, but they got me good this time.” I stepped back and started working at his shirt, taking an inventory of his injuries. The rest of the team dispersed to their areas of the house with murmurs of good night. I led Eliot to our room as our friend who had been staying with me took their leave. I made him sit on the edge of our bed and began bandaging and patching him up, including a wrap around his middle for a pair of broken ribs. “Eliot, how much longer are you going to do this?” I asked, fretting.

“This is all I know. This is all I’ve ever done.”

“Surely you have enough to retire and we still live comfortably for the rest of our lives.”

“Can you see me being inactive and growing fat and old?”

“I can actually. Especially if you’re going to have a kid to take care of.”

His whole body tensed as he looked at me shocked, “Are you—?”

“Yes,” I said with a happy giggle, “We’re going to be parents.”

Despite his injuries, he wrapped his arms around me, and lay me down on the bed with a hand resting on my abdomen. “I’m not letting you leave my sight. We’re having a little girl?”

“Or boy. It could be a boy.”

“No, I want her to be a girl, just like her mother. Only, never allowed to date.”

I smiled, willing to let it go for now. I reached up and claimed his lips with mine, mindful of his injuries as I pulled him to me. “You’re going to be an awesome dad.”

“I’m not letting anything happen to you this time,” he said with so much feeling I knew that those few days were going to haunt him the rest of his life.

“I love you, Eliot Spencer.”

“I love you, Kenna Spencer.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Leverage nor am I at all affiliated with it. Hope you like it. More to come soon. This is my first time posting anything so please go easy on me...


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